The University Years
by Yuilhan
Summary: All Akiko Kobayashi wants to do is get through her first year of University as quietly as possible. Life and the students of TonTon University have other ideas…
1. SEPTEMBER - Documentary

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing.

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 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

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 **01|SEPTEMBER** \- Documentary

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Moving was always going to be strange, but it was always something I'd associate with Spring. Like, with Spring cleaning, the old made way for the new. The cobwebs were dusted off. There was new life entering the world, and fresh opportunities blooming.

Moving was not something I would associate with Autumn.

The sticky September heat made my t-shirt cling to my back and the strands of hair that formed my fringe bunch together in sweat-slicked clumps. I'd been sat outside of my new accommodation for roughly two and a half hours now, waiting for the moving van to arrive; sat atop the one large suitcase I could pack into the back of the taxi in the heavy afternoon sunshine, and rubbing at the conspicuous mark the taxi's seat belt had left on my clavicle.

On to the subject of why I was moving, well, University of course. When applying in my last year of Secondary Education, I thought through my choices wisely. I made sure to put down the Universities local to my hometown, so that commuting wouldn't be a hassle; but I also took a punt on one University that was further afield. TonTon, when I visited with begrudging parents who'd driven for five hours straight all morning just to get there, was a very pleasant place. It was small, close knit, and picturesque. It was also incredibly accepting of… well, students who couldn't exactly afford to pay for their education in one fell swoop. Surprising really, for a University that accepted a lot of only incredibly intelligent, wealthy, or noble students.

I put it down on my application, but never expected to actually get in.

Which is exactly what happened, believe it or not.

Yes, I couldn't quite believe it either- my parents certainly couldn't. They thought I was joking at first. Then they began to panic about the cost, even though I assured them that Government funding and bursaries would cover it. The final excuse that sealed the deal on them remaining uninvolved was the ten-hour-round drive up and back down the country. Hence why I had to fork out of my savings for a taxi drive, and also for a moving service to cart all of my stuff to TonTon.

A moving service that was now…

I check my watch.

… four hours late. It was a good thing that all of the induction processes and campus orientation happened tomorrow. Though if my things didn't arrive I might never get unpacked on time to make it to them.

Just shy of three o'clock the rented movers van sputters to a halt outside of the house I'm going to be living in for the next nine months. They less than helpfully dump all of my boxes on the pavement, and sputter off again in the van; leaving me to the extreme joy of carting all of my belongings inside- box by flimsy box.

None of the doors in the hallway are open, though I can hear the faint murmurs of multiple voices. Many of my neighbours have probably unpacked and are either enjoying something to eat in the kitchen, or have sprawled out on the couches in the living room area in front of the shared TV that came with the accommodation. As typical in my life, my room would have to be right at the end of a long stretching hallway; which smelt faintly of fresh paint and lemon floor cleaner.

When all of my boxes have been shoved into the corner of my new room, I set to unpacking. Removing all of the carefully placed items and folded clothes is a lot easier of a task than when I had to place them inside in the first place. It's an awfully less stressful task too, considering I don't have both parents hovering and trying to discourage me from setting one foot outside of the house when September came around.

With all the majority of my things unpacked, I take the final box with me back down the hallway and into the kitchen, where I'm met with the first possible meeting of my housemates.

At the long kitchen table sit four girls, and two boys are perched on the kitchen counters either side of the oven's hob.

"Hi," I clear my throat to catch their attention, "I would wave, but I've got my hands full." My eyes flick to the cardboard box I have my arms wrapped around in a vice grip. One of the girls- she has pink hair, _pink_ , gets up and helps me set it on the table.

My fingernails nip at the brown tape keeping the box closed, "I'm Akiko Kobayashi, I would have introduced myself earlier, but the movers were late bringing my stuff."

"We noticed," Says another girl, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder, "You were sat outside for hours on that suitcase."

I can feel my eye begin to twitch. So no one came outside to offer a hand, or ask what I was up to, but they still rubbernecked at me getting sunburnt through their windows?

Another one of the four girls notices my growing irritation; "We w-would have c-c-c-come outside a-and helped you, b-b-but, we weren't s-s-sure if you were m-moving in with us…" Her voice is light; airy and gentle, but the stutter is distracting. As she speaks, I feel my annoyance wash away. "I a-am Hinata Hyūga."

"Nice to meet you," I reply genuinely with a small smile, and remove my plates and cutlery from the box.

"Sakura Haruno," says the pink haired girl, and I nod. "The blonde is Ino Yamanaka, and the brunette playing with breadknives over there is Tenten – no last name, even though we asked her politely if she had one."

My mouth pops open a little, and Tenten gives me a mischievous wave; one breadknife barely missing Ino's perfectly coifed fringe.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, youthful flatmate!" Exclaims one of the boys, who's weirdly dressed in a green spandex suit. I would have never put the former and a shiny bowl-cut together, but somehow he's rocking it. "I am Lee Rock, and my youthful red haired companion is Gaara Sabaku!"

Something tells me that this guy is a morning person. And a day person. And perhaps never pessimistic. He smiles, and I swear his teeth shine.

"Ah…" I'm still blinded by those teeth, "It's nice to… meet you?"

Why did that sound more like a question than a statement?

By now, I've removed everything from the box, flattened the latter like I had done with the other, and I am now looking for a place to store everything.

Taking pity on me, Sakura says; "You can put your stuff in the cupboard on the right. You'll be sharing it with Shikamaru; and you'll be sharing one of the fridges with him, Gaara and Hinata. Tenten, Lee, Neji and myself will be taking the other one. I'm not sure how Shikamaru's arranged his stuff, but if you go into the living room he's napping on the couch and you can ask him."

"How many of us are living on this floor?" I am curious, because my housemates don't just include those who live on this first ground floor, but the second and third floors above.

"Eight," Sakura replies, "Ino here is from the floor above, but came downstairs to visit"

The blonde scoffs and checks her manicured nails, "You wish, billboard-brow. I'm too good just to visit you!"

Sakura's face drops and her fists curl in tightly, "Then what are you here for, Ino-pig?" she says sweetly, with extra venom.

"I'm gracing you and your weirdo flatmates with my glorious presence!"

I gulp, "Er, you know what, I'm going to track down this Shikamaru bloke… okay?"

I don't wait for an answer before rushing from the kitchen into what I presume is the 'living room'. Sat stiffly in an arm chair solely made for slouching (by this I mean that the cushions resembled mustard yellow marshmallows, that just oozed 'Let me devour you…' in the cosiest way possible) was a young man with eyes similar to Hinata's from the kitchen. Except, this one was male… I think? He/She/It/I give up, sneered at me as I entered, and impolitely stuck his nose a few centimetres higher in the air. Judging from the resemblance to Hinata, this must be Neji? I think I'm going to leave this one well and truly alone; what kind of weirdo won't settle back into a comfy armchair? Probably one that's enjoying the world's dullest documentary playing on the TV right now…

Almost passed out on the couch, just as Sakura told me he would be, is Shikamaru. His spikey ponytail puffs out over the side of the sofa's arm, his feet hang off the other end.

"Uh…" I'm not quite sure how to go about this; how do you wake a perfect stranger? Stepping up to his legs, I give them a light nudge. "Shikamaru…? Hey? Shika-"

"Can you keep it down, I'm trying to watch something," the smooth voice of Neji Hyūga makes me flinch.

"I'm sorry," I reply, turning to Hinata's relative, "But I need to wake Shikamaru so that we can arrange the cupboard space we share."

Neji sniffs, grabs for the cushion propping up his back, and lobs it at the slumbering Shikamaru's face. The latter startles and swipes at the offending article:

"What was that for?" Shikamaru questions with a wide yawn.

"She wants to talk to you about living arrangements," snips Neji, "Now can you please hurry this up?"

Shikamaru groans, and begins to close his eyes again. Sensing that he may fall asleep any time, I rush to make my introductions and get down to business: "I'm Akiko Kobayashi, I would have been here sooner but my stuff's only just arrived. Anyway, since I'm sharing a kitchen cupboard space with you, I just wanted to know if you had any specific arrangements I need to follow?"

But Shikamaru has fallen back asleep, and it is Neji who answers me; "I'm fairly certain that he couldn't care less. Now, if you please." His hands gesture for me to get lost.

I promptly scatter.

* * *

 **01|SEPTEMBER** \- Musical inspiration:

"Innocence" – LAMP IN TERREN

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 **Author's Note 01|:** Did you miss me?

Reviews and PM's are appreciated; I may have missed some mistakes, as I proofread myself. Kindly point them out to me if they're glaringly obvious.


	2. OCTOBER- Art Major

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing. I also do not own BBC's 'The Blue Planet'; full rights go again to the creators and those involved with licensing.

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 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

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 **02| OCTOBER** \- Art Major

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For the last three and a half hours I've been laying on my back, staring at the ceiling from my bed as I wait for the shrill call of my alarm. I'm feeling that horrible contradiction of nervous excitement, and because of that I've had a less than satisfactory rest before the first full day of lectures. It's the same dreaded combination that makes you want to burst at the seams because you're so happy and simultaneously want to wet yourself from a crippling fear of the unknown.

Thankfully I don't have to worry about where my first lecture will be held. The welcome pack TonTon University sends to all new accepted students includes a handy map of the campus, and if I do manage to get lost I suppose I could always ask around. That, and I've been wandering round campus trying to get my bearings; Fresher's week fell on the last week of September, with the first of three terms starting in October. Fresher's week also meant hordes of first year students- like myself, mingling and getting drunk.

I've never mixed very well with alcohol, so I spent most of Fresher's week squashed at the end of the sofa with Shikamaru's feet in my lap, and with Neji glaring at me from the corner of his eye- even though I kept perfectly still and tried not to breathe when we were watching "The Blue Planet". The former told me one night, when I felt a little masochistic and dared to talk over David Attenborough, that drinking was 'troublesome'. He soon fell asleep and left me alone to face Neji's wrath. I didn't dare ask the Neji why he wasn't out painting the town red with the others. Instead we sat quietly with the faint wheeze of Shikamaru's snores and learnt about the open ocean.

In between watching endless documentaries, I went for walks.

The campus is astounding; surrounded by many acres of open land, Ton Ton's sandy yellow buildings are a small sunny dot in a sea of green. Trees stretch well beyond the back of the visitor carpark and wrap around a small seating area for picnics. Many of the buildings look old, but the University generates enough money and funding to be able to maintain them. Ton Ton selects its students carefully, and admits a scant few to study there each year- hence why the campus is smaller than many rival Universities. I'd surmised that it was like walking around a little village, with dinky helpful shops and annoying residents included:

"C'mon, yeah! I need it for my art!"

I'd only entered the shop for a pint of milk, and I'd managed to get myself stuck behind one of the whiniest blonds I'd ever met (and that included Ino).

"I'm sorry, but I do need to see some ID before I can allow you to buy alcohol."

"I've never been stopped before," the blonde replied tartly, and I sighed. At this rate, the milk I'd picked up would curdle and sour before I got back and put it in the fridge.

The guy behind the counter, who had some kind of odd nasal strip over his nose and tucked under his ears, must have heard me, because he looked over the blonde's shoulder and gave a strained smile. The blonde also looked back, and I raised my eyebrow at his one blue eye not covered by a swathe of thick fringe.

"What on earth do you need alcohol for at this time of the morning?" It was only about half nine, so naturally I was curious.

"For my art, yeah," he replied, somewhat distracted. He'd conceded to the worker- his name tag read 'Kotetsu', and so the blonde was now currently fishing in his pockets for his wallet. "I've got some old school stuff I brought with me, and I'm going to take pictures of it burning off the alcohol."

Both Kotetsu and I stared at the blonde weirdo.

"I'm not sure that's art so much as pyromania…" I mumbled, still a little confused.

The blonde- with ID in hand, snapped; "Well, what would you know about art?" slapped a note onto the counter, flashed his ID, and snatched the bottle of Vodka from Kotetsu's hands. He also made sure to slam the shop's door closed behind him, making the shelves rattle precariously. Perhaps if he'd stuck around I could have told him that I was an Art Major, and that I had a conflicting view to his about what 'art' truly was. Hopefully though I wouldn't ever encounter his temper soon- after all, campus wasn't so small that you were crawling over each other to get somewhere. Most likely it'd be a while before I ran into him again.

Back to my first day of lectures, we had two hours of theory and Art History this morning in the 'Academy' lecture theatre. I'd sat myself to the side of the theatre, slipping behind the dark wooden desk and onto a plush padded bench seat. A red head was sat next to me; he'd nodded in greeting as I sat down beside him, but shockingly, the theatre was less full than I thought I would be. The lecturer arrived, took us through some basic expectations and the course overview, which I made sure to note in a small jotter notebook.

Then, the door to the theatre swung inwards, smacking against the wall. The lecturer stilled, and turned to look at the student; as did we.

"Sorry I'm late, yeah?"

I resisted the urge to groan and smack my head against the desk.

* * *

 **02| OCTOBER** – Musical inspiration:

"Goya no machiawase" – Hello Sleepwalkers

"Chasing pavements" – Adele

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 **Author's Note 02|:** Upset

I was cross-posting this on A03, however I'm a bit hacked off with the site. FF reviewers and readers from my own four or so years experience of being on this site (because I began reading on here before writing fics), are most always polite and courteous when leaving reviews- even if what I have written clashes with their own thoughts about the characters/pairings/area that I'm writing on/etc. I take it into consideration, because at the end of the day, it's constructive criticism that I can improve my writing and stories with.

So after limited interest, the first review I have on A03 for 'The University Years', in a not so polite and courteous manner, told me that any planned pairing I had (SasuHina, in this case) were shit and unwanted, and that I should go- and I quote: "kill yourself".

Needless to say, I'm not very happy with how A03 lets you interact with comments. I didn't reply, because I'm above making immature comment wars with people who haven't contributed to constructive criticism. I only had the option to delete the comment. I then chose to remove the story from A03; I may repost it on there again after it's serialised to the conclusion on this site, but for now, I'm not going down the A03 route for a bit.

I'm upset and a bit shaken, but what can I do? There's always going to be people like that online and in reality, spitting their dummies out left right and centre. To quote Einstein; _"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe."_


	3. DECEMBER (Part I) – Mount Fuji

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing. For its extremely brief mention, I also do not own Pocky- however much I wish I did though...

* * *

 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

* * *

 **03| DECEMBER** (Part I) – Mount Fuji

* * *

Ino's sitting in our kitchen again.

"Why is Ino in our kitchen?" I ask Hinata, who'd stood angrily cradling the toaster in her milky white hands. She grimaces, so maybe it's best that I don't ask again.

Shikamaru enters the room behind us, takes one look over our shoulders at the girl sat at the table, and turns on his heel. Without so much as a 'troublesome' he leaves. Ino wilts.

"Seriously, did I miss something?" I ask those around me. They nod discreetly; so apparently I did. Ino looks like she's about to cry.

I take the toaster from Hinata and plug it into the wall, setting two pieces of bread inside for my breakfast. While waiting throughout the toasting process, I seat myself adjacently to Ino: "Okay, start from the beginning- what exactly has been going on the for the past two months?"

I'd been holed up in the art studios supplied for students on that course, hoping that I could get a large amount of work done before the end of term on the off chance that my parents decided they'd like to see their daughter over the winter break, and pick me up from Ton Ton. It also helped, because Deidara- the blonde dude who was late to the first day of lectures, had made it his personal mission to hound me during the day when I should be working on my research and trial pieces. Luckily he'd give up after dinner time, so I spent my evenings and the early hours of the morning painting in peace. Perhaps that schedule messed up his night-life of getting drunk and turning up to the lectures in the same clothes he went out in? Whatever the reason, it worked for me and getting stuff done, but at the cost of being out of sync with me housemates.

"We went out, all of us, a couple of weeks ago- well, apart from you and Forehead," 'Forehead' being Ino's sweet nickname for Sakura, whom was probably still surrounded by her textbooks right now, the poor Med student; "And I tried… well, there was this guy I liked when I was little, and thought that maybe he might take an interest in me now that we're grown up."

"But I'm guessing he didn't?" I ask softly.

Ino shakes her head, "He's never been interested, and I had this stupid crush when I was twelve. I was drunk, and I don't know what I was thinking, but I made a pass at him." She takes a shuddering breath, "Shikamaru saw, and he hasn't spoken to me since- and now he's always with that Temari girls from Oro's dorm!"

Orochimaru, Jiraiya and Tsunade formed the three Deans of the University; and each part of the accommodation in specific areas assigned themselves under their jurisdiction. My housemates and I lived under Tsundade-Sama's rule, but I hadn't really extended my acquaintances outside of that, not counting Deidara and Sasori; both of whom were Art students. It was stressed during Fresher's week that each dorm had specific traits, not matter how Ton Ton tried to preach about inter-Dean friendships. Orochimaru's students were usually ruthless, and perhaps a little unhinged; many of them studied Law, Mathematics, and Chemistry, with a select few branching out into the Arts (like Deidara and Sasori). Jiraiya's students were… perverted in some way, shape, or form, and Tsunade made sure that her students didn't take shit from anyone. That, and they were known for massive alcohol consumption- which is what landed Ino in this mess in the first place.

"Kindly refrain from calling my sister 'that Temari girl', Yamanaka-San," Gaara chided, not turning away from his washing up in the sink. Lee was sat by the draining board, drying the plates and cutlery as they were placed by him.

"Sorry, Gaara-Kun, it's just so annoying- and he won't let me explain myself!" Ino smacks her palm onto the table.

"P-perhaps you should control t-the amount you drink next time?" Hinata states, oddly fierce this morning. "T-then you wouldn't be in this mess now?"

Hinata's got the patience of a Saint, but is perversely feisty when she wants to be; and it looks like Ino had finally done something to push her buttons. Honestly? Hinata looks… jealous, and uncharacteristically angry whenever she sets eyes on the moping blonde.

"I agree with Hinata-Chan," Lee announces, "Such consumption is most un-youthful."

While I agree with them both about the alcohol- as a non-drinker myself I see first-hand the effects it has to those around me, I'm still curious about this guy who's turned the family-like dynamic in this household on its head. I ask for his name:

"Huh? Sasuke. Sasuke Uchiha."

"Uchiha?" I reiterate.

"Uchiha," Ino says firmly, and sighs again.

I groan, and the toaster pops behind me; revealing two slices of blackened bread. "This is all I need, burnt toast and an Uchiha infestation…"

"You say that like you know him?" Ino points out.

"That's because I do," I reply, putting another two slices of bread into the toaster, "I used to play with him and his older brother when I was younger."

This was definitely not what I was expecting this morning. Because if one Uchiha is here, you can guarantee a bunch of them will not be far behind. From what I can remember, the boys had a dysfunctional but loving upbringing, despite the majority of the male members of the family maintaining their austere, constipated expressions. On the flip side, there was Pocky-scoffing Uncle Madara, though he was a completely different kettle of fish. On maps it should read 'Here be Uchiha' and not 'Here be dragons', because they're sure as hell more dramatic and dangerous than overgrown winged lizards. I should have expected them really, considering how Ton Ton is a prestigious and exclusive University to get into, and that the Uchiha name drips with wealth. The two go hand in hand, and it's only little ol' bog-standard student Akiko Kobyashi that's the odd one out in the picture.

I shake my head, "I still don't get why Shikamaru is mad with you."

Surprisingly, it is Hinata who answers; "Ino a-and Shikamaru have always liked each other. They o-only b-began to notice each other r-recently though."

"Ah," I take a large bite of my toast. "So he's jealous then?"

For someone who was supposed to be super intelligent, and who could have whizzed through Uni years ago with his eyes shut, Shikamaru Nara was incredibly dense. I've met people of that ilk before; all intelligence and no common sense, but he never struck me as the sought to stoop to petty tricks. Then again, maybe Nara had developed affection for Gaara's sister, 'that Temari girl'?

Ino smacked her head onto the kitchen table, groaning dramatically and grinding her teeth.

"Having a great morning so far, aren't we?" I ask everyone in the kitchen with me, hunkering down over the table more. "What else could I possibly be alerted to that's going to make my day even more spectacular?"

"You have a spot the size of Mount Fuji on your jaw," Ino tells me, staring up at that particular area.

I place the slice of toast I was holding back down onto my plate and stare the girl in the eye; "That was a rhetorical question, Ino."

* * *

 **03| DECEMBER** – Musical inspiration:

"Finding the Pattern" – Jessica Curry, 'Everybody's Gone to the Rapture'

* * *

 **Author's Note 03|:** Loss

My cat passed away over the weekend.


	4. DECEMEBER (Part II) – Family

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing.

* * *

 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

* * *

 **04| DECEMEBER** (Part II) – Family

* * *

"So how exactly do you know the Uchiha's?" Ino asks, walking beside me. Since our flat-chat in the kitchen, she's been glued to my side all day; lectures and seminars excluded. We had made plans this morning to meet up after we were done, and to head towards a little coffee shop on campus I'd found during my Fresher's week walks. Ino did not know of its existence, which shocked me, because she was one well-informed girl.

If somebody so much as sneezed on the other side of campus, Ino knew about it. She reminded me of a spider sat smugly in its web. This made me wonder if she helped spread the various rumours and titbits of gossip floating around, and if she had anything interesting to say about her housemates. Hopefully all good things, considering she was the one more than likely pulling the silken strings of her web-like network. I'm not sure what I'd do if not. Probably hide under a rock for the rest of my life in the back-arse of nowhere.

Currently we were walking up one of the busiest routes for students, and up some steep steps to the central square of the University. The café had sequestered itself in the farthest corner, so we cut across the middle of the square, wincing as the icy wind bit at our faces.

"It's the weirdest story, I swear," I huff, watching my breath cloud like a dragon's exhalation.

"Really?" Ino asks, craning her long neck down to look at me curiously. Sometimes I hate being so short; it makes me feel like a specimen to be goggled at.

Ignoring the injustice of tall people looming over short people, I hum in response, "Their maid-slash-nanny-slash-victim had taken the boys out shopping with her at our local supermarket. In the space of ten minutes, she managed to lose two little Uchihas, or so my Mother told me later. Apparently Sasuke had desperately wanted some tomatoes, and Itachi wandered off after him to make sure his little brother was okay."

We push our way into the café, sighing in relief as warm air envelops us. A little bell rings as the door opens and closes, sounding our arrival.

"Anyway, my mother and I were out shopping that day, and I found the two of them in the frozen isle. Took them back to our trolly to find Mum, who then took us to the customer service desk." I laughed, "The nanny couldn't thank us enough, and Auntie Mikoto suggested that I should come over for play dates, seeing as I got on with the boys so well when I was younger. Actually now that I think about it, I never saw that nanny again… I didn't notice it much when I was little, but the Uchiha are ruthless."

Ino and I place our orders, and the head barista- Raidō, if the nametag pinned to his shirt is correct, tells us that he'll bring them to our table soon.

"Is that why you were so agitated this morning?" Ino slips off her fur-lined purple coat as we locate an empty leatherette-covered booth, "You seemed a little on edge when I mentioned the name."

"Partly because of that. They're a wealthy family, with a powerful established company. I'm from a working class background, so it was pot luck that I even got introduced to them at all in the first place. That social boundary was pretty evident whenever I was dropped off for 'play dates'. The wealth and the family dynamics were different and overwhelming; I'd more often than not be gawking at my surroundings, or at Auntie Mikoto if she did something nice, which meant I'd be on the receiving end of Sasuke's temper and mischief because of my ignorance. It seemed as though the little commoner who turned up every month was to be his personal lab rat, and he went to great pains to play with more enthusiasm than 'rough and tumble'…"

At the end of the play dates, it would be me who was frogmarched from the Uchiha's doorstep; dirty, bruised, scratched, and still bewildered. It irritated my parents slightly that despite the influence the Uchiha family had, I still went home worse off than I arrived; like the family had done it on purpose to put me in my place, so to speak. This wasn't through any fault of my own or the Uchiha's, just my parents envy and financial desperation. I tell a lie, maybe it was partially Sasuke's fault. He would be the one to suggest that we should roll down the hills surrounding the gardens of the Uchiha estate, forgetting to tell me that it had rained, so my pretty dresses would be muddied. It would be Sasuke who suggested we explore the sprawling undergrowth, and Sasuke who made sure to lead me through clusters of nettle plants and bramble bushes. He would somehow emerge unscathed, and I came back looking as though I'd fought a war against the local flora.

It would always be me who looked muddied, scratched, bruised, and miserable by home time. If Sasuke really put his mind to it, I'd even cry at pick-up time thanks to his evil little plans. My parents disliked this. With our low income, we couldn't always afford luxuries. When money was tight we'd make do with blankets and thick jumpers instead of the central heating. We didn't have the money to spare on new pretty dresses to impress the Uchiha, or to throw up the illusion that even if we weren't 'well-to-do' like them we could at least afford nice things; so each time I came home with one ripped thanks to Sasuke's antics meant another tough time of cutting down.

Even with my tormenter present each time I visited, I still enjoyed the time I spent at the Uchiha residence. I knew my parents loved me, but they didn't express and show me that they did. Uncle Fugaku was like that, what with his constant constipated expression, but it was clear as day that he took pride in his boys and the family. Aunt Mikoto was overly loving; she was the one to suggest that I call her and husband 'auntie' and 'uncle' in the first place. She was the one to supply sweets. She was generally a lot more caring than my own mother, and I clung to whatever scrap of her attention I would be allowed, like a drowning man grasping the only available piece of floating driftwood on the ocean.

There was another who made my visits worthwhile. Sasuke's elder brother, Itachi. I may or may not have had the teeniest crush on the elder boy when I was nine. He was eleven then; two years older than Sasuke and I. Two years more mature, and it certainly showed. He was intelligent, and he was _gorgeous_ \- even as a preteen. But more importantly, he'd inherited his mother's caring diligence- which I craved more than Mikoto's.

When I decided not to roll down the muddy hill and Sasuke pushed me in a fit of childish temper, Itachi was the one to scramble down after me, set me back on my feet, and dust off my shoulders. He was the one to take me to Auntie Mikoto to have my bruises and scratches seen to. He was the one to share his dango with me, seeing as Sasuke turned his nose up at the sweets his brother offered to share.

So, I may or may not have had a crush on Itachi Uchiha.

It didn't last long, seeing as my Father found work with a higher income some distance away, and we moved half way across the county. All visits and communication with the Uchiha stopped; their address and details mysteriously lost during the move. The Uchiha name would vaguely pop up on the news when the company brought out new products or did something controversial. However, I thought I'd heard the last of the family on a personal level. Until now that is.

"Wow, that sounds rough," Ino winces. "I knew that Sasuke was temperamental, but he sounds twisted even as a kid."

"You're a Psychology Major, right?" I ask the girl, "I'm pretty sure I was a glutton for punishment, seeing as I still went back there every month for a year."

We quieten as Raidō places one large hot chocolate (for myself) and a black coffee (for Ino) on the table. He mumbles a quiet "Enjoy" before scuttling off behind the counter again. Ino and I savour our drinks, chatting aimlessly about our respective courses, general stuff, and the pimple on my jaw; the latter of which has swollen considerably since this morning, despite my attempts to quell it and camouflage the blemish with makeup.

"Stop touching it!" Ino says waspishly, swatting at my hand as it prods the protrusion, "You'll only make it worse."

"Yeah, but if it pops it won't be so painful anymore and it'll make me feel better," I argue, pouting.

Ino frowns, "You seriously are masochistic, aren't you? First the Uchiha and now the facial incarnation of Mount Fuji."

I smirk, "Sasuke must have conditioned it into me; his stupid stunts meant I'd be treated with tender loving care by his older brother if I followed along, so more often than not I'd go through with it."

" _Oh ho~_ " Ino wiggles her eyebrows, "I see now…"

I smile and slurp a bit of hot chocolate, nearly choking on it as someone taps me on the shoulder. Placing the mug back down before I drop it, I check behind me.

The person who tapped me has dark hair and darker eyes. Smooth pale skin, and deep lines beneath his eyes from stress and exhaustion. Growing up, I only knew one person who could fit that description.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you," the stranger speaks with a voice smoother than velvet, "But, could you perhaps be Akiko Kobayashi?"

I swallow nervously, feeling the marshmallows that were on top of my drink I'd ingested wanting to resurface. All I can think is that I've encountered a prominent figure of my past, and that while doing so I have a spot the size of Mount Fuji on my jaw and a possible foam moustache across my upper lip. How classy I must look.

"Only if you're Itachi Uchiha," I answer, and he smiles. For a moment it makes the heavy creases on his face fade, and his flat eyes sparkle. I'm transported back to my youth, when those smiles appeared freely and made my younger self squirm and blush- and is it overly warm in this café, or am I just seven shades darker of flustered red?

"I thought it was you. I overheard part of your conversation when I came in," I notice the disposable coffee cup cradled in his hand, "I thought it was too good to be true, but it's actually you- in the flesh."

"Er, yeah… all… _me?_ "

I can see Ino hiding her snicker behind her coffee cup from the corner of my eye.

* * *

 **04| DECEMBER** – Musical inspiration:

"Light of the Seven" – Ramin Djawadi, 'Game of Thrones – Season Six Original Soundtrack'

"Sledgehammer" – Rihanna, 'Star Trek Beyond'

* * *

 **Author's Note 04|:** Grammatical nausea

Uchiha. Uchihas. Uchiha's. Uchihas'. I feel so dizzy after proofreading this, so if my grammar is shot in places have mercy or point it out to me if I've really lost the plot...

In other news, I can't believe it's taken me so long to go to a Comic Con before. Looking forward to the weekend? Yes. Looking forward to wearing a Cosplay wig? Not so much.

Thank you very much to **Gunmetal Grace** for your review on Chapter 03|. It meant a lot. All I can say is make as many memories as possible, take as many pictures/videos/whatever you fancy, and love the furry members of your family dearly.


	5. FEBRUARY – Love

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing.

* * *

 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

* * *

 **05| FEBRUARY** – Love

* * *

Gaara and Lee are sucking face by the cooker, and I'm not entirely sure I want to interrupt them. My macaroni and cheese may be burning in the oven as I deliberate though.

The flat- barring Neji, who believes himself too good for us petty mortals, has a tally going; the person to catch the couple playing tonsil tennis the most during a fortnight is off of cooking the large end-of-week flat meal (otherwise known as coughing up enough money to pay for a mountain of take-away food for eight people), and cleaning duty for a month. So far, I'm in the lead with Ino not far behind. I'm not sure why she's been included though, seeing as she lives on the floor above, and her friend Chōji does all of the meals for their flat so long as they clear up after him. She's got it easy. She doesn't have to worry about burned mac n' cheese.

I decide clearing my throat this the best option.

It works.

They move several inches to the left, so that I can rescue my dinner.

Even as I'm chewing on slightly crispy and blackened macaroni and cheese, they're still canoodling. At first I'll admit that I found it cute. I'd stayed on campus with the pair and Neji over the Christmas break: it turned out that my parents still couldn't care less that I was halfway across the country, and had decided that it was cheaper to mail me my gifts a week later than to put fuel into their car.

Lee and Gaara had gotten a little closer then; shuffling up to one another on the sofa while I sat curled up at the other end, trying not to breathe because of Neji. Throughout January, the twitterpated two had sent longing looks at one another across the kitchen table during meal times, and sought to grasp each other's hands when walking anywhere together. Gaara even wrote some sappy poetry that differentiated from the usual depressing childhood-sand-spiel he spouted randomly at meal times. And when you passed him on campus. Or, well, at any given time in any given place- there was sure to be a sonnet about buckets and spades floating somewhere in the ether for him to recite.

Gaara finally asked Lee out at the start of February, and the two couldn't be more in love.

Seriously, I'm happy it's all worked out for them, but dinner is a necessity for me. It comes before snogging couples on the priority scale. I need sustenance after a busy day of avoiding Deidara; he's now taken to stalking my art studio at night time, for whatever reason I don't care to discover. I'm sure I'll find out soon though, considering Ino's on my case about it…

"He's cute, and you've got a dry spell that could rival Suna's," she said one night when she joined us for dinner, "He probably wants a piece of fiery Kobayashi, and you should jump at the chance and not dither about like you usually do!"

She fingered a lock of my red hair, and I curled my lip; "Ino, he looks like your dizygotic equivalent. I'm not going to touch him a barge pole."

Ino looks hurt, "I'd have you know that I am well worth poking with a pole!"

Shikamaru snorted; "I bet…"

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?!" Ino snapped, face crumpling with anger and hurt.

Neji rather sensibly got up and dragged his cousin and Tenten away from the conflict, and Gaara and Lee made themselves scarce. Thanks Neji, for caring about me too.

"Now now, ladies, you're both pretty; handbags down please," I mutter, pushing the food around my plate with a slightly misshapen fork, "It still stands that I'm not going anywhere near him."

Sure enough, I got my answer as to what Deidara wanted. Ino wasn't too far off of the mark. One night when I thought I'd left late enough to evade him, he emerged from the bushes and I narrowly avoided getting asked out on a date:

"Why exactly would you want to go out with me?" I asked, hefting my satchel's strap further up my shoulder.

"You get me, yeah. I mean, we didn't make a good first impression on one another, and well-"

"You mean that you didn't make a good impression. I did no such thing, and poor Kotetsu's got wonky shelves still because of _you_."

Deidara sniffed, "Whatever, yeah. The thing is that you get me, you get my art- unlike Danna."

By 'Danna' he meant Sasori Akasuna; the poor sot who regularly gets trapped between Deidara and I during lectures. Akasuna has conflicting views about art compared to Deidara. Many lectures are a battle of note passing, snickering, and even _pinching._ It's as if the pair are six and not in their late teens, what with all of the pigtail-pulling going on.

"Ohhh, I see how it is," I tap my chin, "You want to go out with me to make your Danna jealous?"

"Yes."

"…"

"Wait- no, _no!_ Definitely not!" Deidara sputtered.

"Goodnight, Deidara. I'll see you at tomorrow's lecture, okay?"

I left him there outside of the studios and didn't look back. It felt good to be the mischievous one every once in a while- I could see the appeal it had to Sasuke now.

Speaking of the Uchiha's, one of them has just let themselves into the kitchen, as I'm scraping the burnt bits of mac n' cheese into the bin. Unfortunately for me it isn't my favourite Uchiha (Itachi, for clarification- with Mikoto as a close second); it's the menace, Sasuke. The knife scraping at the plate makes an unattractive screeching noise, making Sasuke, myself, and both Gaara and Lee wince.

Oh yes, that pair were still at it.

"Can I help you?"

"Hn, my brother told me you were here but I didn't believe him," Sasuke sneers, watching with narrowed eyes as Lee and Gaara make their way out of the room and up towards the dorms.

"So now that Itachi's been proven right (as per usual) and you've waited two months to come and see me, where's the hug of reconciliation? Or the flowers and chocolates?" I ask, dumping the finally clear plate into the sink.

Sasuke scoffs, "As if I'd go to that length over you. I'm here for Hinata."

Well, things are just getting more and more interesting by the minute. It seems that ickle Sasu has a wickle thing going on for Miss Hyūga. My suspicion of her jealousy over Ino attested correctly.

I raise my eyebrows; "And you're telling me this because…?"

Sasuke cringes. Actually cringes. "Her cousin… dislikes me."

"Okay, and…?"

"I need you to get me past Neji, and upstairs to her room," Is that a fierce blush I spot on Sasuke Uchiha's face? It can't be- Uchiha's don't blush, they burst into flames. I must be mistaken.

At the prospect of baiting an irritable bear, I chuckle; "Hot date?" Sasuke doesn't answer, but the flushed face, ears and neck speak all of the words I need. Apparently I wasn't mistaken. "I will help you this once- and _only_ this once, but you've got to do something for me."

"Anything," Sasuke says far too quickly.

Shocked at his out of character abruptness, I murmur; "You really like her, don't you?" but before he can answer, I beckon for him to follow me down the corridor. "Neji is in the living room at the moment, you'll have until about twenty to ten before you'll have to leave. Either by going out the same way you came in, or by hauling yourself out of her window- watch out for the window box though, she's growing some herbs for Sakura to use. I need you to speak to Shikamaru Nara. Ino Yamanaka mistakenly made a drunken pass at you and it's been tearing the flat apart ever since. Do something about it."

I knock on Hinata's door, before swinging it open and shoving Sasuke inside: "And for Kami's sake, please keep the noise to a minimum- the walls are paper thin here."

The door is promptly slammed in my face as Sasuke turns a brilliant shade of red. I sigh and scratch the back of my neck. Perhaps I should just go and barricade myself inside of my room; though if Neji discovers that I was somehow the one to smuggle his cousin's 'inappropriate' boyfriend into her dorm room I'm dead for sure, barricade or not.

Walking further down the long corridor to my room, I find an entwined Gaara and Lee pressed up against the wall and blocking most of the way to get past them. Frustrated, I clear my throat again; the two stop for a split second.

"Erm, guys…? Can I get past you at all?"

"Gaara says we're going to be having a sexual odyssey," Lee sighed with delight as Gaara sucked on his neck. I'm surprised that for once 'youth' and 'sandcastles' haven't been mentioned… or a euphemistic bucket and spade, but perhaps Gaara's trying to branch out with his writing? Whatever they're going to be doing, I hope it doesn't inadvertently include the rest of the flat- what with the paper-thin walls and all.

"That's great, really," I replied, "But can you perhaps have it elsewhere and not it in the hallway?"

* * *

 **05| FEBRUARY** – Musical inspiration:

"Samurai Abstinence Patrol" – Ninja Sex Party

* * *

 **Author's Note 05|:** Favouritism

This was one of the chapters I wrote while laughing. Especially during Gaara and Lee's moments. We all know that one couple who are joined at the hip and sickeningly in love. Another one of my favourite chapters is 08|, because and event mentioned within it happened to my friends at a different Uni. In fact, quite a few things in this story have been based off of either my own- or friends', experiences of Uni, as well as some other random happenings in daily life.


	6. MARCH – Model

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing. I also don't own Heather Small, though her song is very... _inspirational_? (Is that even the right word...?)

* * *

 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

* * *

 **06| MARCH –** Model

* * *

We're not entirely sure where Sakura is. Ever since Christmas, the pink haired girl has simply failed to turn up for regular meal times or even shown herself during the day. Honestly, it's a little worrying. Collectively, the flat- minus Ino, started another little game going (after I won the last one) to see who can go the longest without bumping into her. So far, Tenten, Lee, Gaara, Hinata and Neji have all had a 'Sakura-sighting'; the latter two are crazy observant people, so were the first to drop out of the competition. I'm not sure if Neji was actually trying, or just being his usual guard-dog self. He's taken up threatening intruders ( _ahem_ , Sasuke) or those out past his imposed curfew with a rolling pin and the usual stalwart Hyūga glare.

Now it's just down to Shikamaru and I, and out of the two of us I'm not sure who'll win. I keep odd hours thanks to Deidara and being at the sutdios so I'm likely not to bump into her, but Shikamaru… just doesn't _do anything_. It's quite probable that the Nara genius hasn't attended a single lecture all year; Ton Ton can be quite lax with taking attendance, except for compulsory seminar presence and the odd meet up with senior members of staff- which are both enforced or arranged in advance. It's also likely that he'll turn up to his end of year exam and still get an A grade. The bastard.

Meanwhile, I've taken to leaving odd treats on a plate outside of Sakura's room. Perhaps luring her into Shikamaru's path by leaving a trail of sweets will ensure my win? That, or we'll get an ant infestation, I suppose…

Sakura's a Med student, which means that her course is intellectually demanding and taught by Dean Tsunade; increasing the difficulty and expectations on the students ten-fold. Many drop out after the first three weeks, broken beyond belief and rocking back and forth neurotically. Sakura's stuck it out for six months. She's either a very good student or a masochist.

This afternoon, while on my way back from some Deidara-free time I'd snagged in the art studios, I called into the shop to pick up some sweets. I made sure to place them outside of Sakura's door, knock, then run as fast as I could to my own room in case I saw her- I'm fairly determined not to lose to Shikamaru.

A few hours later when I emerge from my room, the sweets are gone.

Sakura's alive, at least. Or so greedy sot has filched them instead.

I make sure to tell my flatmates:

"Forehead's probably buried under her textbooks," Ino says, checking her finely manicured nails.

"Why is Ino in our kitchen again?" I ask.

"I'm here because we're partying, Akiko!" The blonde states with a playful pout, as though I was a bit slow on the uptake. I mean, the various bottles of wine and spirits on the kitchen table weren't a dead give-away _at all._

I pinch the bridge of my nose, "I can see that, but why specifically in our flat? Why on a Wednesday evening particularly? I have a nine-am start tomorrow."

"W-we're not going to be e-excessive, Akiko-chan," Hinata reassures me, "It's j-just a few d-drinks with c-coursemates." Hinata blushes a deep shade of crimson only reserved for one Sasuke Uchiha; 'just a few drinks with coursemates' indeed.

Humming my consent, I riffle through the fridge until I find an unopened yoghurt. When I finally locate a clean spoon in a cutlery draw not belonging to myself, I peel back the yoghurt pot's lid and tuck in; pondering about how organised Neji keeps his knives and forks.

"I'm out anyway, so feel free to go crazy. Just keep it to a minimum after half ten or so." The yoghurts a little… _thick_ … I don't dare check the wrapper to see what date is on it, but considering that the money is a bit tight and I've not been shopping in weeks…

Licking the back of my teeth, I dump the remainder of the yoghurt pot in the bin, thoroughly dissatisfied.

"Oh~!" Ino perks up, "Going anywhere special?"

"They're running a life drawing session in the studios, so it's a good chance to get some experience and add another piece to my portfolio."

"It's good experience I suppose," says Tenten- casually spinning something sharp and pointy round and round and round with light adjustments of her fingers.

I nod to her twirling fingers, "Practice makes perfect." She smirks in response.

The practical session had been scheduled for a few weeks ago, however the model dropped out at the last minute and the whole thing was plugged. Now however, with the added incentive of free wine and nibbles (the nibbles I may take advantage of, considering the state of my fridge and finances at this moment in time), it was likely that amateurs and students alike would stick around, and perhaps take their kit off in the name of creativity.

It's scary how my logical thoughts can turn out to be very true: A man I recognised in passing as Dean Jiraiya had clothed himself in a paint-spattered overalls and a jaunty beret, and was giggling away to himself on the front row of easels provided for the class- and was that _blood_ dripping out of his _nose?_

Weird, but again, life drawing can cause perverse behaviour I suppose. What with the model being in the nudsy-neked-nuds and all. It can be difficult to tear your eyes away from something when morbid curiosity takes hold.

Perverted Deans aside, I was fairly excited to do something outside of my usual skillset- and nothing was going to ruin this night and this chance for me. Nothing at all.

"Hey, I didn't know you were coming to this, yeah!"

 _Kill me._

Actually, perhaps the yoghurt from earlier will do it for me. There's nothing like off-yoghurt to get the body's bacteria cultures in uproar.

As if to add insult to injury, Dean Tsunade walked out from a little supply closet. She sat herself down on the provided pedestal in the centre of the room, and removed a slinky silk dressing gown she was wearing.

"Hurry up and get drawing," the busty blonde bellowed, and with both equal parts revulsion and determination the attendees not sat at an easel scrambled to do so; "I want that free wine."

 _Wine._ Ah, that explained how they'd arranged a new model. However, what was seen could not be unseen for me. It gave a stronger justification as to why Dean Jiraiya was there though.

When I finally make it home, having left an equally disturbed Deidara behind by Dean Orochimaru's territory, the flat is in a state of chaos:

The bottles of varied alcohol that were on the kitchen table are now littered all over our ground floor flat, as not surprisingly, are the people drinking it. Tenten had slumped down against one of the fridges-both of her Chinese hair-buns sporting matching plastic cups, and Neji was currently looming over an overly affectionate and drunk Hinata; the latter whom was cuddling a squirming Sasuke. Said Uchiha gulped as Neji slapped a rolling pin down on his open palm, drilling him with the most serenely aggressive look possible. Shaking my head and skirting round a puddle of spilt liquid I think might be white wine, I pop my head into the living room. Of all things, the news channel is playing on the TV, and Shikamaru and Ino are snuggled together on the sofa; dead to the world and smelling of spirits.

"Aw…"

"I know, it's adorable," says a voice I haven't heard in three months.

"And to think all it took was Sasuke Uchiha making his intentions clearer and some alcohol… _wait a minute-_ Sakura?!"

"Yes," the pink haired Med student answers. She's sat in Neji's customary arm chair with her hands neatly folded in her lap. Her skin is too pale, her hair has lost its lustre, and there are deep mottled marks under her eyes. She looks tired but content, if such a combination was possible; as if she knew already that her crazy studying schedule would see her through on the run up to exam season.

"Are you alright?" I ask her, still concerned for her wellbeing as she yawns wide enough to crack her jaw in two.

"I will be," she answers with a shrug. "The sweets helped a lot, so thanks… I came down to see what all of the fuss was about and to try and catch up with the news." She gestures to the quietly playing television.

"I know one thing for certain, they can clean this mess up after them tomorrow- I was out at that life drawing class all evening."

"So I heard. Who did they get to model?" Although Sakura sounds genuinely interested, I'm not sure whether I should tell her that her teacher stripped her kit off all for a nice glass of vino.

"Ahh… erm…" I wince and whisper, "Tsunade…"

"I bet it was the free wine that drew her in," Sakura says, getting up and shrugging. She pads past me, casting one glance back at Shikamaru and Ino entwined on the soft sofa cushions; "Could you throw a blanket over them? I feel beat, so I'm going to get some sleep."

Dumbly I nod, and do as she asks. Under the covering, Ino groans and curls deeper into Shikamaru. The Nara genius wraps his arms around the blonde's torso tighter, and nuzzles the top of her hair. I bite back an 'Aw!' and the flush of success- having been the one to ultimately orchestrate them closer.

When I look up at the door, Sakura is gone- just like she hadn't been out of her room at all. With Ino and Shikamaru out of it and not able to witness the occasion, it's as though I'd just watched a ghost passing through.

I shiver, and rub the back of my neck.

My eyes widen in shock:

Does this mean that I lost the flat competition to Shikamaru?

* * *

 **06| MARCH –** Musical Inspiration:

"This Girl" – Kungs Vs. Cookin' On 3 Burners

* * *

 **Author's Note 06|:** Accomplishment

There comes a time in anyone's life when you feel so proud of something you've done. Today, I sorted out the medical cupboard in our home (which was a tip), hung a picture on the wall, became a domestic goddess, and only had one bought of randomised verbal vomit (better than usual, I can tell you).

In the eternal words of Heather Small: _"What have you done today, to make you feel proud?"_

Also! Four more chapters to go!


	7. April – Lace

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing.

* * *

 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

* * *

 **07| APRIL** – Lace

* * *

"So, how have you been finding things so far this year?"

Kakashi Hatake has to be the most useless Academic Advisor on the planet. Who cares if he's a 'Big Thing' in the photography world; with his chasing after lightning storms all over the world and dangerous, death-defying (read: "stupid") stunts to get a decent shot. Who cares if he's one of the most critically acclaimed senior members of staff at this University? He's the idlest, most disinterested slob I know of walking around on the planet- and that includes Shikamaru Nara and his miscellaneous relatives, and more recently my parents have been added to that list.

But am I going to voice my opinion or complain? No. I'm going to suck it up and smile because this meeting is a formality and I don't want to end up with a visit to the University Councillor. Hatake may be one of the people marking my work at the end of the year, so it's best not to piss him off. No matter how much this porn-perusing, laid back with-his feet-on-the-desk, absolute _knob_ annoys me, I'm going to keep on _smiling._

"Akiko-chan…? Are you okay? You've been staring over my head at the wall intensely for the last five minutes."

He hasn't even looked up from that damned orange book of his yet, so how would he know if I'd been doing what he said I had?

"Ah… Your eye is twitching now. I think maybe you should drop in to see Yamanaka-san if you're feeling the stress- what with exams coming up soon."

"I'm fine, _Hatake-San_ ," I grumble.

"See, now I definitely know you need to go and speak with someone qualified. I thought I told you to call me Kakashi-Sensei?" The slight curve of his closed eye communes the saccharine smile hidden under the slob's medical mask, "'Hatake-San' was my father, and I don't think I'm that old yet, hm?"

I eye the gravity defying silver hair atop his head dubiously. I'm fairly certain if I asked that I'd be told it was natural, but how can silver and upright hair be normal? Unless its genetic, or an old-man thing. I've heard many members of staff and also students in the Art Department, both male and female alike, mutter about silver foxes. On the subject of normality, I've come to the conclusion that nothing is normal at this University; what with Sakura's (natural) pink hair, and the guy with blue skin I passed the other morning on my way to the studios, and the guy that walks around holding a Venus fly trap; stroking the stems and whispering sweet-nothings into its gaping mouths- and don't even get me _started_ on the Cosplay Society-

"Mah, I'll just send a quick email to Inoichi and see if he can fit you in at some point this week."

"I'm free on Friday afternoon, Kakashi-Sensei," I nod dumbly. Perhaps it's better that I talk to someone qualified. Then again knowing TonTon, Councillor Inoichi Yamanaka (yes, Ino's daddy) has to be as loopy as the lot of us. I am included in said lot; I brought it on myself for not leaving while I could, or bolting as soon as the moving van decided to take its sweet time.

I'm finally released from Kakashi's cluttered office:

"Mah, well if there's nothing else, get lost. I'm on Chapter Seven."

Somehow, as he spoke, 'Chapter Seven' was capitalised; and knowing the infernal little orange book, I should get the fudge out of dodge immediately. Not that I've read any tiny orange pervy books. Nope. It was much worse: Ino read them and filled the rest of the flat in on the gory details. She looked coyly at Shikamaru when she did this, and the boy blushed something chronic. Honestly, I'd rather not know the details; a flustered Nara is enough information for me. Seriously, a bomb could go off and would a napping Shikamaru Nara flinch? No. But get his somewhat-girlfriend chatting about erotic literature and he's a wobbly as a new-born colt. It's embarrassing to watch- a total car crash of all my established knowledge about Shikamaru, but you can't turn your eyes away when it happens.

I walk back through the main square away from Kakashi-Sensei's office, and my stomach grumbles as I pass the delightful-smelling café. The money is a bit tight at the moment; I'm still waiting for my next set of funds to be released from the Student Finance company, so for the moment, I'm slumming it and eating breakfast biscuits and instant ramen for meals. Whenever someone asks, I say that I'm on a weird diet plan. It usually deters them from asking more questions.

"Akiko?"

The hand resting over my grumbling stomach whips behind my back straight away; "I-Itachi?"

"Are you alright?" He asks, resting a hand on the top of my arm just below my shoulder.

I smile wanly, "Yeah, just a bit peckish, is all."

Of course, Itachi the mother-hen sees right through me and raises one finely sculpted brow; "Would you like to join me for some lunch? I was just about to head in there," he gestures to the café. The smell of coffee and freshly made food wafts under my nose, and my stomach growls loudly. I bite my lip.

"My treat," he says knowingly.

"If you're sure…?"

"Most definitely. Ladies first," Itachi assures, holding open the door. Once we've ordered and settled into an open booth, he levels me with a look that conveys worry, disappointment, and a smidgen of anger: "Now, why would someone as intelligent as you be starving yourself?"

Bug-eyed, I answer; "I'm not starving myself."

My stomach gurgles loudly.

"…"

"…"

"Your stomach begs to differ," Itachi snips. He nods as Raidō sets a tray containing our orders down in front of us. "Eat up," he pushes a freshly made sandwich towards where my hands lay flat on the table top.

"I'm not starving myself, honest. I've just got a few money troubles, is all," I say, taking a bite and willing myself not to ravage the sandwich as the full extent of my hunger makes itself known. "I've been really careful all year not to blow most of the funding I get, but somehow it isn't enough. To make matters worse, I waiting on the last lot to come through still. So I've just got to tighten my belt a bit until the money is put in my bank account."

"Why haven't you called your parents or told someone about your situation?" Itachi stirs some sugar into his mug of black coffee, "Surely they would be able to help you?"

I sigh and release the possessive death grip on the sandwich, "I tried that. They basically told me that they knew University would drain any disposable income I'd managed to scrimp together along with my funds, and that they didn't have the money to bail me out themselves. The finance company are working on it, they told me so over the phone- which is another bill I'm dreading paying off, by the way, and well… I guess I haven't gone to anyone else because my pride wouldn't allow it."

"Hn, how silly," Itachi surveys me over the top of his coffee mug.

"You say that, but if you were in my situation you'd do exactly the same. We've never been a 'wealthy' family, but I never went without as a child. If my parents could do it, then so can I." Perhaps I'm being slightly more aggressive than I should be, considering he's the one who bought lunch- 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you' and all that. I know that Itachi is making valid points; people would be willing to help me out until the money came through- my parents excluded from said people, but I can't help but feel like a charity case or exposed. We're both prideful persons; he because of his family status and the burdens that inheritance lays on his shoulders, and myself because I would equate to nothing without my independence and intelligence. I can't help but feel a little betrayed by my mother and father, but I understand their situation. Stubborn pride and independence will keep me from seeking help from anyone else, though.

"Akiko," he takes one of my hands in his own, "You do know that you could have approached my family and I- we were so worried when you didn't contact us for so many years. Mother thought she had done something to offend you, and by extension your family; she sees you as a daughter. You are _family_ to us, and we would never turn our backs on you."

"Not even if Sasuke thinks pushing me down hills is still a good idea?" I ask sheepishly.

"Not even that. My foolish little brother was simply jealous of you when we were little; I rarely spent enough time with him as we grew older, but would always be released from my studies when you were sent to stay for the day. He did not realise that trying to remove from my attention would result in more care being lavished on you, rather than himself."

Though I'm still feeling exposed and angry, I reluctantly laugh and his grasp of my hand tightens a fraction; "I always thought it was something I'd done."

"It was through no fault of your own. Sasuke had to eventually realise that I would not always be there for him. He would never tell you this, but we only had each other growing up, so when you were sent for playdates you broke the monotony."

Grinning at each other- well, Itachi's lips quirked slightly in what I thought was a smile, we sit and enjoy our time together. Still and calm, less hungry and disorientated; I feel better than I have done in days. Isolated from his peers as Itachi Uchiha may be, he certainly knows how to make a girl feel better.

"Aww, would you look at that Morino- Uchiha and wickle Aki are on a date!"

Consider my good mood dissolved. Anko Mitarashi and Ibiki Morino of the Cosplay Society have arrived. Run for your lives while you can before they start talking about the effectiveness of French lace on maid costumes, and goading people about their 'role-play' costume kinks. Both of which I've had to suffer through after they stormed the Art Studios in search of faux-fur and wooden toggle buttons- Kami knows what they needed them for.

"Uchiha," Mornino nods. Itachi mimics him, stoic face not changing- if anything, it's become more like marble than flesh. Hm… I've just had a new research idea for my art portfolio… still, digressing.

"You two are so cute together!" Anko… squeals? I think that was a squeal? I'm not an expert in the language and culture of crazy, which is why I have an appointment scheduled with Inoichi-San. "Aren't they cute together?" The third year student asks, doggedly hanging from her taller companion's elbow.

Ibiki just grunts. Hastily, I shove another piece of sandwich in my mouth.

"Well, I think they're cute together even if you don't. How long have you been a couple?" Anko inquires with a pout, leaning over the table and beyond all normal barriers labelled 'personal space'.

I choke on my sandwich as Itachi answers; "A little while now. We knew each other when we were little, and reconnected again when we discovered we were both at the same university."

Anko squeals maniacally again; this time Ibiki decides he's had enough and pushes the girl away from him, going to the counter to order or just to leave the crazy behind I guess. I can't say I blame him. As for me? Well, I'm pretty sure that for one Itachi Uchiha just implied that I was in a relationship with him, and also that I'm a brighter shade of red than a tomato.

"Hey," Anko stage-whispers, leaning close to him and cupping her hand loosely around her mouth. Her eyes flick mischievously to me, "If you ever have need of a French maid outfit, you know who to call."

I'm not sure whether my eyes deceive me, but it certainly looks as though Itachi is sort-of-smiling again and it's making me feel fuzzy inside; "I may take you up on that offer," he replies casually, but his eyes are locked with mine.

* * *

 **07| APRIL** – Musical Inspiration:

"No Money" – Galantis

"Senya" – daigoro789, 'Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden Soundtracks for Piano Solo'

* * *

 **Author's Note 07|:** Sieve

Is it bad to say that I forgot about updating this story? I released a re-write of an old One Shot (' **Windows** ', if you're wondering- and the rewrite is known as ' **Draft** ') last week, and got distracted by the One Piece Fandom. I've just started laying down the first ideas for a new One Piece fic. Urgh.

With all of that going on and life being a bit of a biatch again, I guess I just overlooked 'The University Years'. Mind like a sieve. Sorry...?


	8. MAY– Melon

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing.

* * *

 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

* * *

 **08|MAY** – Melon

* * *

Councillor Yamanaka must be a very patient man- one on par with the ever-patient Kami, considering Ino is his spawn and he's got connections with the Naras. I don't know Chōji well enough to say he's also a pain in the rip like his two friends; perhaps his lot are the sane ones in that trio of well-established families?

Inoichi-San welcomed me into his office, promptly served up tea and expensive biscuits (only the most extravagant would do, which confirmed that the apple didn't fall far from the tree), and made it feel less like an interrogation of my critical faculties and more like a friendly chat. Actually, it was about as friendly as you can get with someone else's parent before it starts to be weirdly inappropriate. Considering that, I don't know why Dean Jiraiya hasn't been out of a job for decades now…

"Are you feeling a little stressed because of exam season, Kobayashi-Chan?" He inquired, dunking a piece of shortbread into his tea. The biscuit weakened, and the part that snapped off from the majority is now bobbing about in his cup. Inoichi-San curses, and tries to fish it out with his fingers- to little avail, and resulting in burnt fingertips. He curses under his breath once more.

"A little," I answer, watching on as he roots around his organised desk for a spoon or a pen, or something to get rid of the shortbread. "I think it's a case of everything just getting to me. Don't get me wrong I know when to come for help, but I felt like I was handling it just fine."

"Kakashi-Kun can be quite overprotective of his charges; I've had many misdiagnosed students pass through my door because he's got himself in a flap over their mental state."

Kakashi-Sensei? _Concerned?_ I hold back my surprise and snarky laughter.

"There was that one boy though- what was his name again? Ten _zo…?_ Or was it _Yamato?_ " Inoichi takes a sip of tea, "Anyway, we don't talk about him."

That bodes well.

"I feel perfectly fine though," I protest, hands curling around my cup of tea defensively.

"Even if you do, why not just tell me what's going on in your life at the moment? I might be able to help you in that case," Inoichi smiles warmly, and I'm reminded of Ino when she's in the mood to feel like being kind.

I take a breath so big that I may as well have inhaled the tea from the mug resting on my lap, "Well-"

* * *

My head had been in a spin since my 'lunch date' with Itachi, wondering if he had just been 'playing along' so to speak to keep to get Anko off of his case. If he'd have vehemently denied any connection to me- romantic, familial, or otherwise, Anko would have persisted in leeching any scrap of information to prove herself right. It's understandable; Ibiki can be downright scary, but he at least knows when to stop or move away from the frightened party/and-or small nervous animals. Anko? Not so much. She's like the proverbial 'dog with a bone'.

Naturally, when I entered the kitchen half asleep and still majorly confused, I tried to block out any potential disturbances to be acknowledged; lest my brain implode.

"Why is Ino in our- Wait a minute," my blurry eyes come into focus, sharpening the blonde and blue eyed blob sat at the kitchen table, "You're not Ino."

"Nowpe," the blond boy replies, slurping up some of the frothy cup ramen liquid left at the bottom of the plastic pot.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in our kitchen?" I ask, pinching the bridge of my nose.

The blonde boy chews, swallows, and clears his throat before answering; "I'm Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki. I'm waiting for Sakura-chan. She said to be here for ten, and I got here early, _and it's been half an hour-_ I got hungry, so I hope you don't mind?" He rattles the cup ramen, "Anyway, Sakura-Chan is late for our date; girls do that though, so I don't mind."

I nod weakly. "I'm sure you can wait just a tick while I go and get her?"

" _'ttebayo!_ " With that, he tucks into the remaining ramen with gusto. Weirdo. I'm living off of cup ramen out of financial necessity, but someone who can wolf it down out of pure enjoyment? Just plain old weird like the rest of the people on campus.

Walking as prudently fast as possible down the narrow hallway, I pound wildly on Sakura's door: "Your weird blonde boyfriend is here- and he's eating my ramen! I was supposed to live off of that until _next week_ , Sakura! You owe me big time!"

The door swings open, and I narrowly avoid smacking the Med student in the face; "What do you mean my 'weird blonde boyfriend is here'? I'm not in a committed relationship with anyone but Tsunade's Medical course."

"Um…"

"Yeah, that sounded weird to me too," Sakura rubs her eyes, "I've been awake since three-AM of yesterday morning, and nothing is making sense anymore."

That explains the random and incriminating speech then. Responding with the standard 'ouch' expression, I tell her that a 'Naruto Uzumaki' is waiting to take her out on a date:

"Oh, I see what you mean now- fortunately, you don't know him like I do. 'Date' is Naruto-ese for 'Go and eat somewhere', so no weird blonde boyfriend for me." Sakura yawns widely and wobbles on her feet.

"Why don't you get ready and go out with him anyway? If you take a break and have something to eat, when you come back and hit the books again it may make more sense," I tell the pink-haired girl.

Sakura shrugs- a gesture that screams 'why the hell not?' and closes the door. I pad back to the kitchen to find Naruto surrounded by empty ramen cups.

"I was gone for five minutes, and you've managed to eat my whole stock?!" Is my shrill yell upon viewing the scene.

"I was hungry- _hey!_ Is Sakura-Chan coming yet?"

* * *

"Living off of cup ramen isn't healthy, Kobayashi-Chan," Inoichi says, placing down his tea cup.

"It's all I can do until my funds come through though," I tell him, "I know Itachi said he'd give me a sub, but I don't want to burden his family." That's a flimsy excuse and we both know it; the Uchiha's could buy me a ramen factory and still be giggling all day long with how much money they rake in annually.

"Itachi Uchiha?"

"Yep," I replied; popping the 'p' sound.

"You'd make a cute couple," Inoichi smiles.

I groan, "Not you too! Honestly, what is it with people on this campus and matchmaking? Your daughter's just as bad!"

* * *

I'm staring at a whole decomposing melon in the fridge with the scrutiny of an art critic (and wondering about my chances if I were to eat it), when two toned and moderately sun-kissed arms slide around my torso:

"A little birdie told me that little Akiko's been dining with dishy Uchihas," Ino sings into my ear.

"Been speaking with Anko, have we?"

Ino pouts- I can see it in my periphery, "Ibiki-Kun actually."

I snort, "Don't let him hear you calling him that, who knows what he'll do."

Ino relinquishes her grip on my torso, "He's learning tricks of the trade from daddy, and I do a little modelling on the side for the Cosplay Club; I'll do as I please." She slides a chair back from the table and sweeps it round, straddling the seat and leaning her arms on the back so she can face me while I try not to cringe; I hope she's wearing shorts under that dress.

Opening the refrigerator mournfully to check if the Magic Fridge Fairy has been and stocked everything up again, I sigh. No visit from the Magic Fridge Fairy as of yet, and unfortunately still a decomposing melon.

* * *

"I'm very worried now, Kobayashi-Chan, if that is the state of your house," Councillor Yamanaka frowns, completely blanking out any notion of his precious little princess flashing her undies. "There's no wonder you're stressed, with everything that goes on- and it sounds like your house needs fumigating."

"I had the same thought, the fridge is now a bio-hazard, and my cup ramen stash has been completely depleted." I swirl the remainder of cooled tea around in my cup, "I honestly thought about packing a bag and bunking at the studios for a while."

"Please tell me you didn't," Inoichi grumbles, his voice strained.

Opening my mouth to try and answer, I close it again when I cannot find an appropriate excuse. That is all Inoichi needs to know the truth of the matter.

 _"It was one time!"_ I blurt. "One time, because when I got there Deidara was blowing things up in front of the fire exit- and Anko tried to put cat ears on my head and send a picture of it to _Itachi_."

* * *

 **08|MAY** – Musical Inspiration:

"GOEMON" – Suck a Stew Dry

"The One" – BABYMETAL

* * *

 **Author's Note 08|:** Marathon

I've been up and awake for about thirty-eight hours now, thanks to a 'Middle Earth Marathon'. Six Extended Edition movies later, and my body has surpassed itself trying to make me sleep; I no longer feel tired.

I suppose I'll just pass out somewhere around the house in a bit.

The melon thing was all real. I got a Snapchat from a friend at a different University once with the label: "Welcome to our kitchen", and a picture of a decomposing, mouldy melon her flatmates had left in the fridge.

Nice…


	9. JUNE – Pride

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing.

* * *

 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

* * *

 **09|JUNE** – Pride

* * *

Over the last eight months or so, I've surmised that every little bit of drama seems to originate in our kitchen. Our kitchen _specifically_. If said drama happens to spill over into the living room, the dorms, the floors above us, _or halfway across the flipping country,_ most likely it is the consequence of what has happened in our kitchen.

The time Sakura mistakenly allowed Naruto to stay and have dinner with the lot of us, for example, in which the ramen-loving blonde forced potato peels down the plug hole and blocked the kitchen sink; it resulted in a tired blue-skinned engineering student from Orochimaru's dorm halfway across campus to come and dismantle the pipes, flush out the peels and then cobble it all back together again. Over next few days, everyone and their grandmas had heard about Naruto Uzumaki the Kitchen Menace, and barred their doors at night to keep the eager-to-help blonde out to prevent any more mishaps.

Weird Uzumaki-drama aside, Kisame (the blue guy I passed months ago that fixes things) turned out to be a stalwart ally in the attempt to keep our electronics going. The kettle had been on the blink, which didn't bode well for exam season considering how much caffeine is slurped down. The fridge had also been acting up but thanks to Kisame both items were now fine; and if he wanted to nip across for 'playdates' with Tenten (who was more than happy to compare her hoard of pretty shiny sharp things with his extensive screwdriver set), well, nothing more was said. We were just grateful to the engineering student for the fact that we could make tea, coffee and instant ramen again.

So on the morning that I woke up after the last of my very taxing exams and coursework deadlines, when I had hoped for an easy morning stuffing my face with cereal-which I'd spent the dregs of this week's allowance buying, it would be just so that drama would appear in the kitchen with a crash and a thud:

On further inspection, it seemed as though Lee had been stood by the window as a brick was thrown through it. The offending article connected with the top of his slick bowl-cut and knocked him unconscious to the floor.

I took one look at the scene, then turned back to go the way I came in order to collect Sakura and Gaara. Having collected them and picked up the others on the way back that had heard the kafuffle, we helped rouse Lee, extracted the brick from the floor using plastic food bags (to make sure that we didn't contaminate the potential murder weapon with our icky student handprints), and sent Tenten to fetch Dean Tsunade. She'd already been out for her morning run; and though covered mostly by her training gear, the girl still jangled suspiciously. She was the fastest out of all of us though, hence why she was sent.

In turn, Tenten managed not only to bring Dean Tsunade back with her, but also Kisame and Itachi- though I'm not sure how she managed to pick up the two tag-alongs. During the time that Tenten had been gone, Ino had wound up coming downstairs stating that her drama-senses were tingling. I liked to think of it as a strand of her spider-network-web being plucked, and summoning her to the source of a good story. With Ino came someone who I'd met rarely and in passing; Chōji, who knew both Ino and Shikamaru, and was a good friend of the couple's. The kitchen was more than a little crowded with the standard eight inhabitants it was assigned back at the start of the academic year, but with an extra five people it was lucky we hadn't started crawling over one another when we wanted to move. That was when Naruto arrive of course, complaining that the carton of milk in his fridge had gone sour and imploring to us with those big blue eyes of his for us to feed him.

"The brat isn't concussed," Tsunade confirmed, accepting a hastily put together ice pack off of Sakura. It was more of a bag of frozen peas that someone had thought was a good idea to buy but never opened or ate, rather than an ice pack… but in the time she had and with limited supplies, Sakura had done a good job. Tsunade didn't voice any complaints, even if she did drop the pack quite heavily on the affected area- causing a now conscious Lee to wince. "He's going to have one hell of a bump though."

The busty Dean muttered to herself; "What do they make skulls out of these days?"

"Thank goodness he's okay. If I'd been up ten minutes earlier that might have been me instead of Lee, and I certainly wouldn't have been in such a good shape," I said, hand rubbing at my neck with slight nervousness.

Itachi's hands curled tightly by his sides, "Thank Kami for small mercies."

"My body is most youthful, to have protected itself with such strength!" Lee crowed.

"Yeah, yeah," Tsunade grouched, "Sit still for the rest of the day, take some pain medication if it hurts a little and apply the pack to keep the swelling down. Feel any nausea, dizziness or extreme tiredness? Call me or one of the on-site First Aiders back here straight away." Dean Tsunade lifts herself from where she kneels by Lee, smooths out her cropped trousers and green cardigan, and manoeuvres through the congregation picking up an unopened bottle of spirits that someone had left on the worktop. She pauses by the doorway, "Oh, and Haruno?"

"Yes Tsunade-Sama?" The Med student jolts.

"Good work."

While Sakura and Gaara got Lee settled on the sofa, the rest of us ponder over the curious case of the house brick. Turning it over and over in the plastic zip-lock bag, Shikamaru's brows furrow:

"Whoever it was wanted to send two of our residents a message," the Nara genius surmises.

"How's that?" Asks Naruto, scratching his head.

"Because they've written 'FAG' down the side in _nice big letters_ ," Shikamaru says slowly. "Anyone recognise this handwriting?"

The house brick is passed around and draws blanks from most of us. The handwriting isn't the best; it's spiky and rushed if a little gothic looking- which makes it distinctive. When it is their turn to inspect it, Kisame and Itachi share a look, and simultaneously say: "Hidan."

"Hidan?" Tenten inquires, tilting her head.

"Oh, I've heard about him," Ino says idly, "Not good things though."

Refusing the urge to snort at Ino's blasé attitude (which is winding Shikamaru up something chronic because his girlfriend has knowledge on something he doesn't), I ask "Why don't you inform us then?"

"Hm," the Yamanaka girl inspects her perfect nails, "He's housemates with those two-" she waves a hand at Kisame and Itachi, "-and is known around campus to be a little unhinged. He's a sadomasochist according to my sources, and disapproves of those who go against his religion- though mainly those who identify as anything other than heterosexual."

"So he's chucked a wobbly because Gaara and Lee go at it hammer and tongues twenty-four-seven, and thought a well-lobbed house brick would do the trick?" There's more humour in my voice than there should be, but honestly, some people will go to ridiculous lengths over something so trivial as love. What should matter is not what gender or sexuality the people are, but that they feel strongly for one another, right? I can understand if it conflicts with religion, but really, everyone is entitled to their own preferences and moral codes. So Lee has a thing for red heads that spout monotone poetry about sandcastles and shitty childhoods, and Gaara has an unhealthy attraction to bowl-cuts; what does it matter? They love each other. Let them be.

"Miss Yamanaka," Itachi's tone is crisp and collected, "How quickly can you let your… _sources_ know about the atrocious assault this morning?"

Ino's smile is predatory; "I can ruin him in about half an hour," she replies, fishing a sleek smart phone from her jean short's front pocket. Maybe it was wise not to make an enemy of Ino after all…

"See that you do," he tells her, before rising from his seat; "Kisame it is time we left, but first I must speak with Akiko."

"Sure, what do you want to talk about?" I chirp, perking up at the mention of my name. The fluttery fuzzy feeling I'd felt in my stomach all of the previous time's I'd had to talk with him returns when he mentions how he'd like to speak to me. In private. Outside.

"I am glad it wasn't you stood by the window this morning, not that I wish any foul on Rock-San," Itachi states, "I do not know what I would have done, had it been you."

I puff out my cheeks, "Well, it wasn't me. But it shouldn't have really been anyone, y'know? Poor Lee…" There's some giggling behind me, and a whip round in time to see many different heads disappear behind the safety of the front door.

"No, Akiko _._ I don't know what I would have done if it were you in Rock-San's position."

"Hopefully you'd have called a trained medic to help- but why would you be in our house in the first place? You live in Orochimaru's territory."

There's more giggling, and Itachi pinches the bridge of his nose. Is it just me, or have I missed something crucial here?

* * *

 **09| JUNE** – Musical inspiration:

"Me too" – Meghan Trainor

"Bonetrousle" – Toby 'Radiation' Fox, 'UnderTale: Soundtrack'

"Daydreamer" – Adele

* * *

 **Author's Note 09|:** Spirited Away

Love that Studio Ghibli movie. 'Howl's Moving Castle' is my fave though.

Life sucks. Sorry about not updating.

The 'One Piece' Fandom has taken me sailing again.

Arrrg! I'm a pirate who's been drafting a new fic for over seventy five hours…


	10. JULY– Boxes

**DISCLAIMER:** Full rights to anything other than Akiko Kobayash(OC) go to Masashi Kishimoto and any other parties involved with licensing.

* * *

 **THE UNIVERSITY YEARS**

* * *

 **10|JULY** – Boxes

* * *

The heat is sweltering at the moment, and I've gone past the point of trying to salvage some of my more worn t-shirts and vests; it seems that the downside of skimping on doing laundry means that pit-stains just become more crusted in. It's been so bad that I've changed multiple times during the day and taken many showers to try and combat the heat and any incriminating sweat patches that had gathered.

Thankfully, there's not many people left in the house to see me- and I've tried to avoid going outside during the day at all costs. The last time I did so was when we were all still living in the house together, and Tenten thought it would be a good idea to fry an egg on the pavement.

Exam season ended last month, Lee got away without a serious concussion, the broken window pane was replaced, and Ino made sure that Hidan committed social suicide. So began the wind-down; late night partying, decreasing numbers of student on campus, graduation for the third years (thank Kami, no more Anko!), which all came to a point in July.

Hinata and Neji were the first ones to move out; retiring back to their family estate but promising to definitely keep in touch over the summer. Well, Hinata did. Neji not so much- but he did nod, which I took as a good sign. I've not really been in his good-books since Naruto framed me for messing up Neji's crockery cupboard the last time the blonde came round for dinner.

I knelt there on the floor for an hour as Neji ranted about how he didn't want my 'foreign dishes and plastic lids' in his cupboard, because it was messing up the organisation system he had going. This was further antagonised by the fact that they didn't match the pristine pattern of his own crockery, and that they smelt faintly of ramen. I endured it well, but Uzumaki had better watch his back for the little remainder of the Academic year. I could strike out when he comes back and collects his dishes, I suppose.

Slowly but surely, the flat began to empty with more proclamations of 'See you next year!', 'So glad I'm living with you again!' and 'Have a good summer!' until I was the only one left. Not that I minded; I now had free reign over the television, and didn't have to worry about the mess in the kitchen someone had left behind. Nor was I woken at three in the morning because someone went out partying or forgot that the walls were paper thin in the dorms. It also meant I managed to get some decent packing and cleaning done for when I finally moved out, even if living alone again after nine months felt utterly strange.

I wasn't sure how I was going to cope at home again; my parents still weren't on fantastic speaking and financial terms with me, and I doubted I had enough money left to splash out on a removal van and a train ticket for myself. Ino had suggested that I just didn't go home, and ask to stay on campus like some of the older students- but I just didn't have the funds remaining, and I wasn't sure if I could find employment in the local area on such short notice. Her second idea was to sofa hop at somebody else's, but that felt like intrusion even if they were willing to put me up for two and a bit months.

I was still trying to find out how I was going to get all of the boxes and myself home relatively cheaply, when a knock came on the door. Itachi let himself in; a small box in his hand.

"Have you decided on what to do yet?" He questioned.

I shook my head, "Not a clue. I should go home really, but if I do I'll get it in the neck from _them._ " 'Them' being my parents.

"You don't have to go home," Itachi pointed out.

"True," I sighed, "But I don't want to be a burden…"

Now it was Itachi's turn to sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose; "What did I tell you back when you had money troubles?"

"That I could always rely on your family and you?" I recited, feeling very much like a chastised girl-scout.

"Exactly." He places the small box in my hands, "Open it."

Inside sat a lump of tissue paper. I raise my eyebrows, but he gestures for me to unwrap it. Pink tissue paper finally removed, a freshly cut silver key now emerges from within.

"What's this for?" I ask dumbly.

"It's a main key for our house on the Main Estate," Itachi shrugs, "I though it necessary for my girlfriend to have one."

"Oh, okay. That's nice for her- that you trust her with this."

"Yes, it will be," Says Itachi, "Especially because I've known her for the longest time."

My eyes widen, drop to the key, then back to Itachi. I point a finger to my face in disbelief; "Wait- me- girlfriend?"

Itachi smirks; "You are my girlfriend, are you not?"

"I am?"

"You are."

"Are you being serious?"

"Deadly. We're 'going steady' according to your friend Miss Yamanaka and her gossip circle."

That fuzzy fluttery feeling starts all over again, and I can feel my cheeks growing hot with a blush. How dense was I to have missed this? Looking back at it now, his need to coddle me even after all of these years, the heated looks, the desire to talk to me in private. It all adds up to this, and I was foolish to miss it. Then again, the Itachi in my childhood memories kissed my wounds better, gave fantastic hugs and shared his sweets like a good little pre-pubescent boy. And like every other pre-pubescent boy, he was more concerned about his brother and being friends than entertaining romantic notions about the strange little girl who rescued both he and his sibling at the supermarket.

Ino had orchestrated us closer somehow, and though I was blind to any growing affection on Itachi's part it didn't mean I hadn't felt anything myself when I thought of him.

"You really mean that?" My stomach flip-flops as I ask just to make sure; "You're not doing this out of some sort of brotherly moral obligation, are you?"

"I wouldn't do this if it though of you as a sister," he says, eyes rapacious.

Then he kisses me, and the key drops to the floor with a clatter as I kiss him back.

* * *

 **10| JULY** – Musical inspiration:

"Pizzicato-Polka" – Johann Strauss II

"The Merry-Go-Round of Life" – Joe Hisaishi, 'Howl's Moving Castle'

* * *

 **Author's Note 10|:** Finale

When I was sixteen going on seventeen, I wrote a short 10k piece named "Campus Bliss". While that idea didn't really take off on this site, it was still fun and prominent in my mind. So, I converted it somewhat and then wrote a longer piece called "Break a Leg~!"- which many of you reading this may know of already.

In late 2015 when reviewing my account, I had bit of a cringe at what I'd written nearly four years ago. The stories written previously that I had issues with, were taken down by myself in January 2016- as mentioned on my Bio, because of conflict within my writing style.

I finished my first year of University in June 2016, and wondered whether my old ideas could be transposed onto something new. This came to the creation of 'THE UNIVERSITY YEARS'; which features the same characters of 'Break a Leg~!', but has been mixed up and condensed. I didn't want this to be a long project, considering I have limited time to spare to maintain ongoing stories with. I knew this because in 2015 I wrote my first 'The Hobbit' fic (which you can find on A03 under the same penname), and struggled with the three months I gave myself to write and edit the story. I'm going to try and rewrite that story soon, because I wasn't entirely satisfied with the original. The updated version will be uploaded to A03 again as well as on this site, hopefully sometime in the near future.

So, while this isn't 'Break a Leg~!' 2.0, I do hope that you enjoy a more mature Akiko's misadventures.

Thank you for taking the time to read this story, and as always, feel free to drop me a PM. Reviews are welcomed and also widely appreciated!


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